Patent · US Expired

Capacitor trimming system in a quartz-crystal oscillator

US4346537A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
10References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 27, 1979
Grant dateAug 31, 1982
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 27, 1999

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T29/49004
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A capacitor trimming system for a quartz-crystal oscillator in a watch and/or a clock for providing a punctual watch and/or a clock has been found. The system comprises an oscillation circuit including at least a quartz-crystal piece, a trimmer capacitor for adjusting the oscillating frequency of the quartz-crystal piece, a semiconductor electronic circuit for operating said quartz-crystal piece, and apparatus for adjusting automatically the trimmer capacitor so that the oscillating frequency becomes the same as the desired reference frequency. The trimmer capacitor comprises of at least a fixed outer trimming electrode, an inner common electrode fixed parallel to said trimming electrode and a dielectric body sandwiched between the two electrodes. The trimming electrode is disposed in the air for enabling the trimming of the area of the trimming electrode, and the trimming electrode has a coarse adjustment portion parallel and aligned with said common electrode and a fine adjustment portion attached to the same plane of that of the coarse adjustment portion but outside of the common electrode. The oscillation frequency of the quartz-crystal piece is automatically picked up and the …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.